Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) Shares Purchased by Fidelis Capital Partners LLC

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 7.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 649 shares during the quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $1,335,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. lifted its position in shares of Discover Financial Services by 506.5% during the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Discover Financial Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 147.8% in the 2nd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in Discover Financial Services by 72.5% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 348.2% in the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.94% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DFS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Discover Financial Services in a report on Sunday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Discover Financial Services from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Discover Financial Services from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $136.12.

Discover Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of DFS opened at $150.80 on Wednesday. Discover Financial Services has a twelve month low of $80.38 and a twelve month high of $157.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $139.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.82 billion, a PE ratio of 17.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.41.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.36 billion. Discover Financial Services had a net margin of 12.88% and a return on equity of 20.92%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.59 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Discover Financial Services will post 13.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is 31.93%.

Discover Financial Services Profile

Discover Financial Services, through its subsidiaries, provides digital banking products and services, and payment services in the United States. It operates in two segments, Digital Banking and Payment Services. The Digital Banking segment offers Discover-branded credit cards to individuals; personal loans, home loans, and other consumer lending; and direct-to-consumer deposit products comprising savings accounts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, IRA certificates of deposit, IRA savings accounts and checking accounts, and sweep accounts.